Job Seekers Beware Of 5 Hiring Tricks – 11/25/2013

Are employers resorting to hiring tricks to speed up the screening of candidates?

The healthcare job market is booming. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry added 119,000 jobs over the past six months. August alone saw an increase of 33,000 healthcare positions. This means there are numerous opportunities across the nation for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and allied healthcare professionals. With full implementation of the Affordable Care Act expected in 2014, hospitals, clinics, and practices need to fill these jobs quickly. As a result, some hiring managers are resorting to tricks to speed up the screening of candidates. Consider the following five that are particularly common.

1. They are looking for a reason not to hire you.

Every healthcare job posting generates dozens of resumes. If most candidates have similar backgrounds and qualifications, a manager may choose to focus on their flaws first in order to efficiently narrow the field. This means the manager may reject you because you sent a poorly formatted document, included typographical errors, or failed to follow specific directions when submitting your resume.

2. They are only scanning your resume.

You may have spent hours writing and proofing your resume and cover letter, but a healthcare hiring manager will spend less than one minute scanning it. This means you need to format it in such a way that it’s easy to identify your qualifications and accomplishments. You should also tailor your wording to match that of the job posting. For example, if the advertisement mentions a specific skill set, make sure you include it.

3. They will reject you for being too aggressive.

Enthusiasm is a great asset in any career—including those in healthcare. However, there’s a fine line between enthusiastic and aggressive, and it’s particularly easy to cross when you’re trying to land a job. Don’t insist on delivering your resume in person if the advertisement states you should apply online. Don’t make frequent phone calls to check on the status of your application. And after an interview, don’t pester the hiring manager with emails demanding to know if the position has been filled.

4. They will call references you haven’t listed.

Most healthcare employers check candidate references before making a job offer. But because hiring managers know that you’re only going to include past associates who have good things to say about you on the reference list, they may choose to contact the supervisors you haven’t included as an alternative. While there’s little you can do about this after the fact, it’s wise to be proactive and part ways on good terms whenever you move from one job to the next.

5. They use ‘sneaky’ methods to obtain information they cannot legally ask.

By law, an employer may not inquire into your family or relationship status. This includes asking whether you are married or have children when interviewing you for an available healthcare position. However, you can bet they are interested. In their eyes, kids may mean requests for extra time off, and marriage could possibly lead to maternity leave. For this reason, some managers display pictures of children on their desks to encourage you to volunteer information about yours. Others surreptitiously check to see if you are wearing a wedding ring.

Fortunately, forewarned is forearmed. Now that you’re aware of the common hiring tricks utilized by harried healthcare hiring managers, you can adjust your approach to maximize your chances of securing that next healthcare position—possibly even one you apply for on HEALTHeCAREERS Network.